G starts Preschooler I at Heguru!

Time really flies! It’s been one and half years since G started classes at Heguru. I know I’ve not been updating much on his progress on this blog, but yes, we have been continuing classes at Heguru. 

G has been attending the toddler class since Jan 2013, and last weekend, he finally moved on the the preschooler class! I don’t know about him, but I’m definitely excited about him progressing to the next stage. 

Transition from toddler to preschooler

In order to better prepare the children for the change from parents-accompanied class to attending class by themselves, the school had arranged for a transition period for the children. For the first half of the toddler class, parents would sit with their children as usual. However, during the second half of the class, parents and children were separated for the activities. The usual activities like mandala coloring, iroita, tangrams and number memory were done independently by the children. 

During the first session when the parents sat away from the children, I could sense some insecurity (from both adults and children!) However, our minds were set at ease when we saw how well our children were managing without our help. I was so proud to see G coloring his mandala and doing all the activities with minimal help from the teachers! 

After a few transition classes, G was ready to go in independently for the Toddler class. I met up with his teacher to review his progress, and was pleased to note that he was paying attention in class and did well in his activities. He even managed to draw the shapes in the colour mandala. 

More about Heguru Preschooler

The preschooler class at Heguru is meant for 4-6 years. There are 2 stages – Preschool I (4-5 year olds) and Preschool II (5-6 year olds). 

The objective of the preschooler class is “to consolidate what the children has learnt during the Infant & Toddler class and connect it to the left brain”. Activities that are done help to prepare the children for Primary school. 

Compared to the Toddler class, there were quite a few changes to the class:

Longer duration:

At the preschooler stage, the children start to attend classes independently. Preschool I class duration is 70mins (vs 50mins for toddler class) , while Preschool II class will be 90mins (same as the Primary level).  

Environment:

To prepare for the primary school environment, chairs and tables are used in the preschooler classes. They are no longer seated on the floor throughout the class. 

Activities: 

<As the classes are not accompanied, the following information will be what I gleaned from G and the teacher>

First half will consist of right brain activities, similar to what was done in toddler class. Then, there will be physical activity, followed by desk work in the second half. 

In each class, the child will be handed 3 booklets of worksheets – C, R and H.

Booklet C is done in the class. Some examples of activities include tracing, puzzles (pelican, iroita, tangram, plate), mandala, craft work, dot bar, listening comprehension and matching. 

Puzzles : Plate (top left), Pelican (top middle),Tangram(top right), iroita(bottom)

Booklet R is the review booklet, to be done at home. It is essentially a duplicate of the activities done in class, meant for reinforcement of the concepts gone through in class. 

 

G working on booklet R

 
Booklet H is the homework (!) booklet. It includes extension activities based on what was done in class. For example, there could be a different set of matching, tracing etc. This is meant to be handed up the next week. 

Parents information session:

After every class, there will be a 10min session where the parents are invited into the class and the teacher will go through in detail the activities that the child has gone through that day. The objectives of each activity are also explained clearly so parents have a clear idea what to do. For example, the teacher explained how they taught the children to use scissors correctly, how much time was given in class for each activity, how to reinforce concepts at home. 

G’s reaction

I’m not able to observe him in class, but based on the teacher’s feedback, and the worksheet activities, he was able to complete most of the activities independently and on time. Some of the activities that I needed to reinforce are the Pelican puzzle and Mandala drawing. 

As usual, he is happy to go for Heguru and he loves doing the worksheets (he completed both Booklet R and H over the weekend in one sitting!). We are also doing the S2 worksheets and I had to persuade him to stop 😝

My thoughts

I had some reservations initially when I found out that the preschooler class was not parent-accompanied, as I would not know how to guide him at home. 

However, my concerns were addressed during the parents session, where the teacher explained each activity in detail, and we were provided with the booklets to continue with the reinforcement at home. 

In my opinion, the preschooler syllabus is well thought-out, covering aspects such as fine-motor skills training, mathematical concepts, logical reasoning and listening comprehension. As the activities are timed, and parents receive feedback via the timing written on the worksheets to see the areas where we can continue to work with the child at home. 

I’m definitely looking forward to see how G progresses in the preschooler course. 😊

Do stay tuned for more updates! 

G at Heguru – 2nd year update

Time flies, and I’ve realized that my last update on Heguru was from March last year (!)

G has been attending Heguru classes for a year now. Since Heguru groups the children born in the year 2012 and 2011 together in the same class, he is still doing pretty much the same activities compared to last year.

Course contents
With the new management taking over last September, there were some improvements made to the contents, for example, introduction of Chinese word flash cards. The physical exercises were also fine-tuned so that they were more age-appropriate (last year G was asked to hop on one leg at 1yo… )

Peg memory numbers 1-100 had been fully covered last year. With the start of the new year, we are starting with numbers 1 to 10 again.

The topics covered during the flashcards are not duplicated though, and new sets of cards are introduced every 4 weeks. I’m constantly inspired by the topics presented in class – ranging from guitar chords to types of whales to sources of calcium.

I’ve also purchased a set of 24 booklets recommended by Heguru (12 books for intellectual development, 12 books for number concept). They contain simple exercises to be done with G on a daily basis (a page from each booklet a day). An example of the contents in the intellectual development booklets include identification of parts of the body (vol. 1) to identifying collective nouns (vol. 12). For number concepts, they start with simple counting (vol. 1) to counting number of blocks in 3-D shapes (vol.12).

Heguru booklets

G’s progress
G is turning 3 this May. In right brain training, this is the age when the children start to give “output”. (Previously, when they were younger, below 2 years old, the focus concentrated on “input”, where information was presented to the child). Since the end of last year, I’ve seen G responding to ESP exercises verbally, sometimes shouting out the answers before teacher finished the question. I’ve mentioned previously that I was surprised that G could do the ESP exercises, and I continue to be impressed by his output in this area.

Previously I had concerns that the introduction to colour mandala was not age appropriate. Now that G is a year older, he is able to do the colouring by himself. He is now less distracted by the box of crayons, and able to focus on the image. On some occasions, he is also able to start drawing the shapes on the mandala (but most times, I’m still the one drawing).

He has also grasped the concept of linking memory. Last December, on a whim I decided to try it with G using a set of cards. To my surprise, he was able to name all 10 cards I placed and could recite bits of the story that I told. Currently he is able to do about 15-20 cards (depending on his mood).

One of the areas that he has not made progress, though, is during self-introduction. The cheeky boy happily goes to the front of the class when called, but refuses to say his name or answer questions (he happily chatters on when he is out of the spotlight). Hopefully this stage passes soon…

I’m happy to see that G continues to enjoy his classes, and look forward to more pleasant surprises this year 🙂

Which of your kids’ recent developments have surprised you most?

Right brain training with G – Peg memory 81-100 (Printable)

This is the final instalment of the peg memory series. Over the past year, I’ve covered peg memory from 1 to 100 🙂 With regular practice, the peg memory system will be a useful tool to help with activities requiring memorization. For an example of how to use it, you can refer to my previous post here. Do try it!

Download it here ==> Peg memory 81-90

Download it here ==> Peg memory 91-100

Just a note:
Peg memory material for 1-100 can also be accessed here => Home practice material

Have you tried peg memory already?

Right brain training with G – Peg memory 71-80 (Printable)

Sorry about the late updates on peg memory. I’ll be updating the peg memory material for 80-100 in the next few days 🙂

Download it here ==> Peg memory 71-80

Just a note:
Peg memory material for 1-60 can be accessed here => Home practice material

Have you tried peg memory already?

Home Practice with G (the budget version)

Some time ago, I had a discussion with some mummies who were interested in doing home practice, but were concerned about the investment needed to buy all the materials necessary to do so. This prompted me to do a short post on some ways we can DIY our own home practice material at very little cost, using items that we have.

Photographic memory
In class, this is done in various ways:

• Flashing a picture, then asking the child which picture he saw
• Flashing a picture, then asking the child to replicate the arrangement of the items on the picture
• Placing cards in the order of the story told (Story memory/ linking memory)

At home, we can either replicate what was done in class, or use what we have at home:

• Use lego. You’ll need 2 sets of bricks – one for yourself, another for your child. Arrange the bricks and show the child, then give him his own set to replicate what he saw.
• Play peek-a-boo with his soft toys. Remove one of them and ask him to identify which is missing.
• Tell silly stories using items that you have – be creative! An example of a story that I did with G just before he had snacks.

One day, G was driving his car (toy car) when he saw piglet (piglet toy). He decided to throw and eraser (eraser) at him to get his attention. Piglet was very happy (happy face sticker) to see him and they both decided to eat grapes (a few grapes) and raisins (a few raisins). They went to the zoo and saw Mickey Mouse (Mickey soft toy) and said hello to the panda (a panda biscuit). It was a hot day so all of them had water (a cup of water). Soon stars (star sticker) came out and they went home.

G had an incentive to do it, because he got to eat grapes, raisins and panda biscuits after 😉

ESP

ESP practice in class is usually done using pictures – guessing the hidden item, shape, etc

At home, household objects/toys can be used:

• guess the colour of the spoon in the bag by touch – place similar spoons but of different colours in an opaque bag or box and ask the child to touch
• use poker cards to guess the shape (clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades)
• place animal stickers under bottle caps and ask them to “see” which bottle cap has a specific animal
• using coloured pom-poms

The list goes on.

Home practice need not necessarily involve printing/laminating. Sometimes using real objects that are familiar can be more interesting to young children. Hope these tips will be useful!

Do you have any DIY ideas for home practice? Do share them in the comments below!

Right brain training with G – Peg memory 61-70 (Printable)

It’s been a while since I did the last update on G’s right brain training class. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we took a month’s break from the usual weekly class. Classes will be restarting in October, so do look out for the updates soon!

Download it here ==> Peg memory 61-70

Just a note:
Peg memory material for 1-60 can be accessed here => Home practice material

Have you tried peg memory already?

Why right brain education?

This post was written in response to some pms and emails regarding right brain training. In this post I’ve tried to answer some of the questions posted by readers. By all means, I’m no expert in this topic, but hopefully, by sharing some of my experiences here, it can help to encourage others to share too.

Both C and G started attending right brain classes when they turned one. I had little knowledge about this form of education when I started. All I knew back then, was that it involved some sort of memory training. Curious on how it worked, I read books on right brain education, asked the teachers, and trawled the internet for more information. Here is a little of what I’ve learnt over the past 5 years:

Right vs Left brain

Based on what is known today, the left brain is the logical brain responsible for words, logic, numbers, analysis, lists, linearity and sequence. The right brain is the creative brain and is responsible for rhythm, spatial awareness, colour, imagination, daydreaming, holistic awareness and dimension. The left brain processes information in a sequential and logical manner, requiring comprehension and memorization to input data. The right brain, on the other hand, is able to process massive amounts of information without requiring logical comprehension. In young children up to age 3, the right brain dominates. The dominance starts shifting to the left brain when the child turns 3, until age 6 when the left brain dominates.

So what is right brain training?

In right brain training, the objective is to utilize the right brain so that we are able to maintain the use of both hemispheres even as the child grows older. It has been likened to building muscle – the more the brain is used, the stronger the ability. If we don’t use it, we lose it. By using the abilities of the right brain to complement those of the left brain, we are able to tap the full potential of the human mind.

Although photographic memory training is also part of right brain education, it is not the only aspect. Other aspects of right brain education include senses training (ESP), observation skills, moral education, creativity,  and intuitive maths calculations.

Isn’t she/he too young to be attending classes? He’s just turned one!

As mentioned earlier, the right brain is dominant when the child is younger, so it is definitely more beneficial to start as young as possible. Have you been amazed at the amount of details that your young child is able to remember? With training, the child is able to retain such abilities even as they grow older.

Contrary to what the word “training” conjures up, the classes are actually conducted in a non-stressful environment. The instructor continually reminds the parents that this is not a competition, to encourage the child even when they don’t get it correct. The child may not be able to “output” his knowledge at age one, but the results show themselves when they grow older.

What do you do during right brain classes?

Examples of some flashcards

As I’ve described in some of the earlier posts on Heguru classes, the classes typically involve high speed input of information to “activate” the right brain (because the left brain is not able to cope with such massive amounts of data in such a short time!). At such a pace, more than 60 activities can be done within a short 50-minute class.

One of the activities that I particularly enjoy is the story-telling, which encourages G to imagine himself doing certain activities. Note that this is different from pretend play – there are no props, everything depends on the imagination. He is encouraged to imagine the story using his five senses. How many classes do that?

Do you do home practice? What do you do?

Yes, I try to do it daily with G but activities vary. For some suggestions on home practice, you can refer to this earlier post. Recently G is very active, so I don’t do as many flashcards. Sometimes, when I’m really running short of time, I play ESP games (Which lift do you think is coming up first? Will you see a man or a woman? Will it rain tomorrow?).

Does right brain training work?

From my experience, yes it does. When C was younger, she did not show real output till she was about 3years old. She surprised us with knowledge that she learnt from flashcards and she has good visual memory. Academically, she puts these skills to good use, and teachers have commented that she is a fast learner. I believe that this is the result of her earlier right brain training. We will wait and see if G shows similar results (so far he has surprised us with pretty accurate weather forecasts!) After attending the classes, my memory has definitely improved too, with all the practice 😉

Please do share your experiences with right brain training 🙂  

Right brain training with G – Peg memory 51-60 (Printable)

I’ve been attending a management effectiveness course, and surprise, surprise – peg words and peg pictures were taught as a useful tool for remembering key concepts. I’ll be sharing a little more this method soon! In the meantime, here’s the next 10 peg memory picture/words.

Download it here ==> Peg memory 51-60

For peg memory printables for numbers 1-50, please refer to  the Home practice material page.

Have you tried peg memory already?

Right brain training with G – Peg memory 41-50 (Printable)

It’s been a while since I’ve uploaded home practice materials. Here’s the 5th installation 🙂

Download it here ==> Peg memory 41-50

For peg memory printables for numbers 1-40, please refer to my previous posts:
Peg memory 1-10
Peg memory 11-20
Peg memory 21-30
Peg memory 31-40

Just a note:
As I’ve received multiple requests to share my home practice material, I’ve also created a page to consolidate the material for easy access and download. It can be accessed here => Home practice material

Have you tried peg memory already?

Right brain training with G – Peg memory 31-40 (Printable)

Here’s the 4th installation of peg memory materials.

Download it here ==> Peg memory 31-40

For peg memory printables for numbers 1-30, please refer to my previous posts:
Peg memory 1-10
Peg memory 11-20
Peg memory 21-30

Just a note:
As I’ve received multiple requests to share my home practice material, I’ve also created a page to consolidate the material for easy access and download. It can be accessed here => Home practice material

Have you tried peg memory already?